Blue & Her Boys • The Raven Boys

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Series: Raven Cycle #1

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 18, 2012

Source: BEA 2012 || ARC
[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the opinions expressed in my review.]

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I am always amazed by the way that Maggie Stiefvater writes. There’s a genuine rhythm and beauty when it comes to the words she chooses, and each and every book I’ve read from her definitely showcases that. The Raven Boys deviates slightly from the style that I’ve become accustomed to expecting from her, but that doesn’t detract from its wonderful mysteriousness and its interesting story elements.

I was certainly surprised to find myself so interested in the story of the ley lines, and Gansey’s intensive search for them in his quest to awaken Glendower. It’s a very obscure story, but interesting, and I like how Maggie Stiefvater treats it as this great big mysterious adventure.

I love that this book ultimately combines magical abilities with legends from yore. It’s always interesting to see the spin that authors will put on legends that actually exist, and Maggie definitely had me hooked with this one. It’s specifically about ley lines and Glendower, a Scottish king, and though I hadn’t heard of either one before, I ended up looking them up after I had finished the book and exploring the mystery further for myself. Plus, I love how it’s told in a way that seems plausible and fantastical all at the same time. There are elements that would be absurd in any other story, but for some reason, it really worked for me in this book.

Character-wise, I was definitely invested. Even the secondary characters (like Maura, Neeve, Whelk, Orla, Penelope, Calla) were interesting to me, and I’m glad Maggie gave them specific quirks that helped them be memorable. Of course, I was primarily interested in the main characters - Blue, Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah. Each character has their own history, their own perception of the adventure they embark on in their quest for the ley line. What’s interesting is how Maggie weaves these individuals into one little group, all while still making sure to probe their own stories. Noah and Ronan may not have gotten as much coverage in this book, but I’m confident that as the cycle continues, we’ll uncover more about them.

(Oh, and if you’re wondering, my favorite Raven Boy is Gansey, although he’s followed very closely by Ronan. I don’t know what it is about Ronan, but I definitely think he’s an interesting character. I am dying to learn more about him!)

As with all Maggie books that I’ve read, I will warn you that this book starts out slow. It’s never been a problem for me, as I don’t mind a slow build-up when it’s well-written, but I just wanted to throw that out there for people who have difficulty with that sort of thing. It’s worth pushing through it though, as the story quickly becomes interesting. 

I’m very intrigued by the direction Maggie is taking this story, though I find that I am heartily annoyed by that crazy cliffhanger of an ending (and not in a bad way, mind you, but in an “I need to know what happens next” way). The Raven Boys is certainly another delightful piece from Maggie Stiefvater, and as always, I admire the seamlessness of story and character in her writing.

This book is our BEA book club pick for September. See reviews from my fellow BEA book clubbers Shanella, Rachel & Amanda.